The present disclosure relates generally to methods for improving cerebrospinal fluid flow, and more particularly, relates to such methods wherein functions of the blood-cerebrospinal fluid barrier are improved by restoring its capacity to filter toxins into cerebrospinal fluid.
Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) is produced primarily in the choroid plexus of the brain and acts as a cushion and buffer by providing mechanical and immunological protection to the central nervous system. Further, CSF acts as a transport medium for nutrients, neuroendocrine substances and for the removal of toxic metabolites, preserving the chemical environment of the brain. The central nervous system requires a stable environment to function normally. This stability is provided, at least in part, by isolating the central nervous system from blood with a blood-CSF barrier. Under normal conditions, the blood-CSF barrier functions as a semipermeable barrier that protects the brain and spinal cord from potentially harmful substances while permitting gases and nutrients to enter nervous tissue. Water, gases, and lipid-soluble substances freely pass from the blood to the cerebrospinal fluid. Macromolecules such as proteins and most hexoses other than glucose are unable to enter the cerebrospinal fluid.
CSF flows throughout the ventricular system in the brain and is absorbed back into the bloodstream, rinsing metabolic waste from the central nervous system. This allows for homeostatic regulation of the distribution of neuroendocrine factors, to which slight changes can cause problems or damage to the nervous system. The CSF performs a sink action by which the various substances formed in nervous tissue during its metabolic activity diffuse rapidly into the CSF and are thus removed into the bloodstream as CSF is absorbed. The accumulation of any substance transported through the CSF is controlled to a large extent by the pulsatile dynamics of CSF. It has been determined that an accumulation of toxins at the blood-CSF barrier and abnormal CSF flow are contributors to the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative disorders, such as Alzheimer's, Autism, Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, and traumatic brain diseases, through the accumulation of toxic metabolites, through the disruption of neuroendocrine communication or through any combination of these factors.
The presence of very small, even negligible, dosages of certain chemicals acting in conjunction with the body has been observed to have significantly negative effects on brain functions. Detoxification of bodily systems may effectively lead to amelioration or recovery from disorder symptoms. A properly functioning blood-CSF barrier facilitates the filtering of toxic metabolites into the CSF and transports nutrients/chemical messengers from secreted CSF to target cells, allowing the brain to operate at higher capacities. For example, with Autism, a restoration of the blood-CSF barrier to normal functions leads to higher levels of alertness and neurologic function for individuals affected by the disorder.
Current attempts to improve neurologic functions are focused on the development of synthetic drugs or exogenously manipulating CSF flow, which have not been successful in the treatment of neurologic disorders. Further, individuals affected with such disorders are often subject to defects in many other organ systems other than the brain. For example, oxidative stresses have been observed virtually every organ system assessed in individuals diagnosed with Autism. The intake of or exposure to synthetic drugs further stresses organ systems and causes unintended side effects, which may result in detrimental and potentially irreversible damage (e.g., liver or kidney damage due to excessive strain placed on the organs from filtering synthetic drugs). A method for treating neurologic disorders without using synthetic drugs would prevent further burdening the organs, including the brain, of individuals that already have difficulty processing and eliminating toxins (e.g., toxins originating from an external environment, including synthetic drugs, and toxins produced within an individual's body).